The latest on Shane Doan

When RDS reported earlier this month that the Canadiens were among the many teams — at least half the league — expressing interest in UFA Shane Doan, no one expected the Coyotes captain to remained unsigned three full weeks after his contract expired. But that’s where things sit.

The reason for that, of course, is that Doan prefers to remain in Arizona and he’s been hoping the process of selling the club to former Sharks president Greg Jamison moves forward to the point where it appears very likely to happen, if not exactly a done deal.

“He’s more or less waiting for (clarification) on what’s going on with the ownership in Phoenix, not so much going for more money. He’s a very honest guy, and I know he’s the type of guy who would take a pay cut to remain with the Phoenix Coyotes,” teammate Paul Bissonnette told Luke Fox on Sportsnet.ca late last week. “You can see why teams are offering him (contracts), because leadership is hard to come by, especially with guys like Shane Doan.”

Some people believe Doan will remain with the Coyotes, but that’s really not a certainty as long as the Coyotes remain unsold. Doan’s agent, Terry Bross, expected to hear late last week on Jamison’s progress but nothing has come to light yet. Bross said if he didn’t have a good indication the sale was proceeding, Doan would start exploring options more seriously.

“Teams have been great about being patient with me, and I appreciate it so much because I know the fluidity of the market and the way that it moves,” Doan said in New York last week where he was for the CBA talks in his role as a member of the NHLPA Negotiating Committee. “The teams have been so kind to my family and understanding the situation we’re in. That being said, eventually I have to make a decision, and it’ll have to probably be without all the information.”

In fact, Doan did meet with representatives of both the Rangers and Flyers while on the East Coast.

There have been obstacles in the Coyotes sale: First was Jamison’s ability to attract partners and raise the money to buy the club from the NHL but that has supposedly been settled.

Another has been the opposition to the complicated lease agreement by some Glendale, AZ, citizens between Jamison and the City of Glendale. There have been legal challenges and petition drives and some of those have suffered setbacks. They may not be entirely gone and that is holding things up, but Bross said he hasn’t had very much in the way of communication from Jamison lately to get an update on things.

So it’s possible Doan will start looking at other teams more seriously sometime soon.

Now, when it comes to Doan signing with the Habs, they’d have to outbid at least 15 other clubs, so it’s far from a certainty he’d end up in Montreal.

There’s also the matter of the Canadiens’ depth at right wing. Montreal has Erik Cole, Brian Gionta and Rene Bourque on the depth chart.

If GM Marc Bergevin wants Doan, he’d have to move one of them — and all three have no trade clauses in their contracts, although Bourque’s is listed as a Modified No Trade Clause and, as Cap Geek notes on his profile, since he already has been traded, it’s possible that it no longer applies.

Theoretically speaking, however, while Bourque would be the one who could be technically easier to move, his tradeability may not be high, given his production relative to his salary, which is $4 million this coming season, and his cap hit, which is $3.33 million a year for the next three years.

Cole won’t be moved; that’s for certain.

And that leaves Gionta, the Canadiens captain who has had injury issues recently. Would the Canadiens entertain offers for Gionta if they could attract Doan? Tough to say, although there were rumblings in the New Jersey media that Gionta would be a good replacement for Zach Parise. Don’t know how seriously we should take them.

Well, it’s nothing more than conjecture right now. Doan hasn’t decided to leave the Coyotes yet and the Habs are among the pack of teams that would be fighting for him if he did. But it is something to talk about.

Meh, Doan ain’t sniffin’ Habs, it’s one thing to leave Arizona for NYC, it’s quite another to cross the border into Quebec. Anyway, what the Habs DON’T need is another old dude with a heavy contract clogging up the wings. I love ’em, playoffs can be achieved, but the Cup is likely a couple of years away, let’s keep it young, mobile, fun, tough.

As for Nash – yawwwwwwwwwn – Max P outscored him by 6 points in three less games last year, but somehow, Nash is seen as some kind of superstar, and Max is totally off the Toronto/NYC centric media. I think CBJ did as well as could be reasonably expected in the trade.

Dubinsky is much better than many are giving credit for, and I would be completely unsurprised to see him get 50 points and lead both the PP and the PK. But he is not the bargain youth player you really need to get back in order to make this deal work. I think it is telling that the salary changing hands is roughly equal.

Howson’s options were severely limited but his attempt to throw Nash under the bus with the reveal about the player requesting the trade probably did not make it likely that Nash would budge on destination to help get a better deal done.

So I am not in the “OMG, how could Howson make such a bad deal?” crowd because:
1. It probably is not as bad as it appears
2. He had few options and had burned some brideges with the player.
3. I am too busy being astonished that Howson still has a job as an NHL GM.

could you imagine that….the rangers adding Doan and Nash in the off season….Wow. They have lost some sand paper with Prust and Dubs not much as both those two additions are physical and can score. That is pretty crazy

it’ll be a long time before the Habs get better. too much money tied up in average players. 20 years from now seems reasonable for the Habs to make it to the Stanley Cup Final. if you’re thinking sooner. Good Luck with that one.

Brandon Dubinsky can be a solid second line player. He demonstrated that he could net 20 goals and 45 points per season when he was the Rangers 1B centre in 2009-10 and 2010-11 before regressing last season while having his ice-time cut by four minutes per game, much of it coming in the form of lost PP time. Dubinsky is a solid two-way player that can play on both the power play and penalty kill and he’s decent on faceoffs.

In Artem Anisimov, the Blue Jackets get a much coveted forward that the Rangers had previously been loathe to part with. Anisimov was the centrepiece in most trade discussions when the Rangers were looking to acquire an established veteran to help them in the playoff push. He’s got great size and speed, and is poised for a nice breakout with increased responsibilities in Columbus. He was forced over onto the wing this past season after playing the previous seasons at centre, and 20 goals and 40 points is not an unreasonable floor for him moving forwards. The question is whether he can push his ceiling up to being a 30 goal, 60 point player. At 23 years old, he is a guy that could see a Pacioretty-esque increase in his production this coming season, especially now that he will be given more opportunity to showcase his talent.

Tim Erixon was a luxury that the Rangers could afford to part with as their defence corps is already deep and relatively young. At 21 years old, Erixon is a top defence prospect that the Blue Jackets desperately needed. He’s got the makings of a top-4 NHL defenceman with good size and a nice understanding for the game.

Throw in the 1st round pick and you’ve got a pretty good haul for a player that severely limited the options that Scott Howson had to work with: the no-trade clause limited the potential trade partners to 3 or 4 teams, and some of those teams (Detroit, San Jose) were unwilling to part with their own young talent because of the rapid aging of their own rosters.

People always tend to over-value the star players in the NHL. Nash was good for about 30-35 goals and 60-70 points per season in the NHL. He did not seem to make his linemates particularly better, and he clearly wanted out of Columbus.

In Anisimov, Dubinsky and Erixon, the Blue Jackets get three players with size. Anisimov and Erixon should give them some much-needed talent, while Dubinsky gives them some grit. Together, they should combine for about 45 goals and 100 points per season, at the bare minimum. With that in mind, I would say that they did quite alright in this deal.

For a team that struggled to ice a competitive roster last season, the Blue Jackets obtained three NHL-calibre players in exchange for the same cap hit as what they were paying one borderline star-calibre player last season. Nash in Columbus was a failure…their scouting failed to surround him with sufficient talent and they made some questionable signings. It isn’t like they were going anywhere with Nash, so why not roll the dice and try to make a roster that is tougher to play against top to bottom?

I’m with you. Especially, people are quoting stats on Dubinsky when he was injured or played injured for most of last year.
But yes, he’s very good on the PK.
However, if Nash plays like he played for Team Canada with Gaborik, look out! That will be one of the elite lines in the NHL.

EDIT: Funny though. Howson had this deal offered too him prior to the draft and turned it down. I guess he thought he could get better.

Don’t let anyone tell you we’re not rebuilding after the disaster that was Gainey-Gautheir.

Cammalleri gone.
Gomez – wish he were gone.
Gionta – could and should be traded to make room on the right wing for someone bigger and either younger, better, or more cost effective.

Imagine what value Ryan McDonagh could have in trade right now. (Or on the team.)

This team is not a contender, the parts just don’t add up. It MIGHT be a “good” team but it’s not a serious threat to go anywhere. It needs a year to assess what the new pieces (including coaching staff) are worth, and whether we CAN make the jump to being a contender the following year or year after when the Gainey contracts are all gone.
For now, like they say in hockey – MB needs to just keep it simple. Dump more baggage, add only guys that are pretty sure to pull their weight, don’t screw up by trading away anything valuable.
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Listen to the Smart Dog. He knows his poop!

Your analysis is right on the money. Bergevin said first day when he was hired that he would take a long hard look at this team. It means that he needs time as he does to see if the youngsters will evolve as predicted.
Unfortunately for many that also means that the actual roster will be the one on the ice comes the new season. Maybe just maybe past the middle of the season will he then make a few moves to prepare towards the next seasons or towards the playoffs if the Habs are in the running. The time he takes will also make it so a few contracts are less a problem to get rid of.

It also means that there will be no miracles or no cup in the close future . They will hope that they get less injuries and that underachievers achieve ! I think that this also means that nobody on the present roster is garanteed not to be traded. Of course a few are but when time comes ,if real changes are needed sometimes you need to give a lot to get what you want.

Trade to Ducks: Gionta, (1 of Kaberle, Weber or Diaz), 1st round pick for Bobby Ryan. Then pay Doan 5.5 for 5 years and instantly we are a cup favorite. One can only dream. I salivate by thinking about Ryan and Max pac on the same line… these guys dominated in the world championships together.

to be quite honest with you, I truly believe that B. Ryan will be better than any potential 1st overall for atleast the next 5 years or so… I am not saying he is underrated but the way he shoots, puck handles and drives the net is truly impressive and right up there with the OVs of the league

I think you are spot on! The point here is that a team need something valid and tangible. If and thats a big “if” the prospects comes out years after, then imagine how many “points” hé is behind. At that point the old guy may not be worth much, which is why you then deal for another proven scorer. Now the new proven scorer does not score as much as mr prospect so after 5 years he is 50-60 points behind mr prospect. That is just fine cause our first proven scorer outre mr prospect by 150 points during his 5 years (mr prospect partly in Hamilton etc). Over 10 years the tao proven scorers scores more than mr prospect. The point here is that you score most “player points” by dealing often and quick – just like the case is with stock trading.

Gotta believe no one on Nash’s approved list offered more. Howson may be an awful GM, but he’s not a complete idiot. Other than the rumored detroit offer, the teams who could trade for Nash held back their best assets and howson picked the package he liked best after months of begging for a top prospect.

The presumption is Nash is a star that can produce with great players on a winning team. The stats say he topped 70 points once, 40 goals once and represented a terrible franchise largely devoid of any other name players at the NHL’s annual no-hit-fest.

Live in NY and see more Ranger games than I’d like. Dubinsky is a hard worker and a great team guy – for a tram that won as a TEAM. Edison showed some promise and Columbus could pair him with johnson and try to make him a mini Wiz. AA as some offensive upside.

CBJ lost an impossible situation -trading its disgruntled star to one of a short list of teams – they picked up character and youth. It’s time for them to move on.

So it’s Nash to New York Rangers. Does anybody in their right mind think the Habs as currently constituted have any chance whatsoever of getting by any combination of the Rangers, Bruins, Flyers and Penguins in their quest for a 25th Stanley Cup?

Not on your f*ckin’ life!!!! The Habs are a team that is rebuilding and that is all.

Maybe. Just maybe they make the play-offs but maybe just maybe hell freezes over too. Considering that those four teams I mentioned up above are shoo-ins to make the play-offs and that there is the guaranteed South East division berth, that leaves the Habs slugging it out with 10 other teams for 3 spots.

The Habs are far away. Very far away from contending. Even for a play-off spot let alone the Cup. Maybe the Habs should return to the days of just trying to make the play-offs. I don’t think Habs fans have the intestinal fortitude to go through the process of what it takes to actually put together a contender.

EDIT: Looks like Columbus is aiming for another lottery pick, unlike the Habs who will be picking between 6th and 10th in 2103.

How come all the teams that are a playoff team every year can get the top players. Nash traded to the Rangers. Why can’t the habs make a big trade or a good top player signing. After Suban is signed we should have at least 4 million left to play with ????

Teams that make the playoffs every year are good teams and have the organizational depth to make big trades. Nash will cost the Rangers two roster players, a prospect, and a first-round pick. The Habs are not in a position to make those kinds of deals.

Well, see, that’s the sad part about this deal. The Habs could have offered the equivalent to that deal… almost any team could have. The players going the other way are not significant parts of NYR’s roster even though the media, NYR fans and management hype all of them up. But at the end of the day, have the Rangers lost anything significant? Not at all. Even their 1st round pick should be low.

With Gainey and PG being GM for Habs the last couple of years. They just continued trading bits of our farm and it finally got to us that we don’t have depth last season. All we had were bottom 6 depth and unproven prospects trade value are usually pretty low. Making the playoffs can increase players trade value. Just look at Halak 😛

“Responding to the media , or playing to the media, or listening to the fans is the quickest way to start losing” – Sam Pollock

Nash might as well be Gomez in that deal with Gomez 60pt season yet somehow Higs+Val+McD for Gomez+Pyatt seems like a better deal at the time. 😛 I know forget someone else but Gomez is the main subject in that trade.

I know it’s terrible to say Nash= >Gomez but Nash did have 60pt season for someone getting paid close to 8m

The reason NYR was able to ship off 3rd liners + what will be a low first round pick for Nash is that all year they’ve been glorifying all their players and prospects. I mean, everyone’s gotta love Stepan, Anisimov, Dubinsky and Hagelin – just don’t ask them for Del Zotto, Staal, Callahan and McDonagh though cause those guys are just off the charts good and Nash wouldn’t be worth even one of them *sarcasm*.

After having digested this trade, done a little research on the players involved and reading some of the media tweets (Marinaro is lambasting Howson), I’m absolutely shocked that Howson made this deal. This is what he held out for since february? Don’t get me wrong, the players that Columbus is getting are solid, but I wouldn’t call this a winning trade for the Jackets. If they had pried one of Mcdonagh, Stall, Kreider, Callahan or Stepan then maybe. But the way it looks to me now I have to say it’s either an even trade or favoring the Rangers.

It’s not an awful trade, but when you hang on to a player who wants out for as long as Howson did, you need to come away the winner imo. Just one more reason why Howson needs to be let go if Columbus ever wants to compete.